Sara Evans playing sold-out concert at Riverside Casino

Sara Evans is rocking a retro look with a blonde wig, which screams ’60s siren, for the cover of her latest album, “Copy That.”

“I was trying to look like Betty Draper,” Evans said. “I absolutely love ‘Mad Men.’ I love a great television series, and ‘Mad Men’ was excellent. The show did a great job with that era, the ’60s.”

Evans, 51, also enjoys music from that period. “Copy That” is filled with covers of songs from the past century. Tunes ranging from massive hits like The Knack’s “My Sharona,” Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s “Come on Eileen” and Chicago’s “Hard to Say I'm Sorry” to Fleetwood Mac’s underrated “Monday Morning” and Hank Williams’ iconic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

The songs the country singer/songwriter selected for “Copy That” run the gamut.

“It's so cool that the songs are from all over the place,” Evans said by phone from Nashville. “My tastes are varied, and this album shows that I’m much more than a country singer. I had so much fun with this project and I’m so glad to be out there finally singing these songs to fans. I love covers. I grew up singing them.”

Evans grew up belting out versions of popular tunes since she fronted The Evans Family Band ever since she was 4 years old.

“I grew up in a family of seven siblings,” she said. “My parents were shocked I could sing so well. My parents, being farmers, were entrepreneurs. So they bought us all of this music equipment and we became this family band. I grew up singing some of my favorite songs while I watched drunken people two-step to what we were performing.”

It was evident by her teen years that Evans, with her powerful voice and songwriting skill, was destined for more than life as a bar band singer. She has enjoyed enviable success since the release of her 1997 debut, “Three Chords and the Truth.”

Evans has five number one hits on Billboard's country charts: “Born to Fly,” “Suds in the Bucket,” “No Place That Far,” “A Real Fine Place to Start” and “A Little Bit Stronger.”

The Boonville, Mo., native has nine additional songs that have reached the Top 10 of Billboard's Country chart. Evans, who has sold more than 6 million albums, has enough well-known songs for a greatest hits set list.

“I’m fortunate to have that many songs people know, but I’m still making new music that will be part of future sets,” Evans said. “And on this tour, I’ll be singing some covers. I’ll have at least three songs from ‘Copy That,’ which will be part of the set. Just wait to you hear what I have in store for you when I come in.”

Iowa nice

Evans, who will perform a sold-out concert Saturday at the Riverside Casino Event Center, is looking forward to returning to Iowa.

“I’ve always said that Iowa is the most beautiful state in America,” she said. “That’s especially so during the summer, which we’re coming up on. That’s my view coming from a farm girl.

“I find the farmlands of Iowa stunning. You don't get that impression of how great Iowa is from Hollywood, but how many of the people from Hollywood or New York have been to Iowa? If you haven’t experienced it, how do you know what it’s like? I know it’s amazing and it’s not just about how beautiful it is,” she said.

“I love the people of Iowa, who are the classiest people around. But I come from Middle America, and nice people come out of this part of the country. I come from a town of 1,200 people and there are a lot of towns like that in Iowa. I can’t wait to come back to your state.”

Odds are that Evans will return not long after her date in Riverside since she has a new album, which is as yet untitled, that’s on the horizon.

“It’s a fun project,” she said. “The next album is the most raw and real album I’ve ever made. It’s heavy. Get ready for it and grab your Kleenex. But before I get too far into that, come out and see me on the Copy That Tour. It’ll be an experience you won’t forget.”